The flat-pack, recycled plastic bottles are considerably lighter than glass bottles weighing 63g compared to an average of 460g for glass bottles, resulting in a lower-carbon footprint, as well as offering consumers greater convenience and portability through their space-saving design. The bottles are also fully recyclable.
As part of its bold Sustainability Plan and goal of halving its total carbon footprint by 50% by 2032, The Wine Society earlier this year commissioned an independent study to identify and review all available alternative packaging formats to glass, and the flat-pack, recycled plastic bottle by Packamama came out as one of the better options.
Light to transport, space saving across the supply chain, and made from 100% recycled PET plastic, the bottle and cap are fully recyclable by 99% of local authorities in the UK unlike other packaging options like cartons and pouches. While a shelf life of up to 18 months is technically possible, Society members are being recommended a drinking window of 6 months for this bottle format.
Dom de Ville, Director of Sustainability and Social Impact comments: “In our recent carbon report, we shared the news that glass bottles account for 31% of The Society’s total emissions. To achieve our ambitious reduction targets, we need to significantly reduce our emissions attributable to packaging. One way to do this is putting more of our wines into lower-carbon packaging formats. Although rPET might sound controversial, with today’s technology and in the absence of a proper system in the UK to collect and reuse glass bottles, the recycled plastic bottle is a really good option. It has a lower-carbon footprint than glass and can be recycled at home.
“While we recognise there is a plastic pollution problem, it is not necessarily plastic itself that is the problem, rather it is what we do with it. This is why we are taking a practical approach to plastic, seeing its benefit in our efforts on climate change, rather than taking a black-or-white stance that all plastics are bad. This bottle is made from 100% recycled plastic and is recycled everywhere in the UK – which helps to support a more circular economy”
